ACLU of Maine pushes for privacy bills

AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- The ACLU of Maine is making privacy its number one priority in the legislature this year. And there are five bills, sponsored by lawmakers in both parties, that the organization is pushing for.

An act to Protect the Privacy of Citizens with Domestic Drone Use is a bill sponsored by Democratic Senator John Patrick. It would require a warrant or court order for law enforcement to use a drone for surveillance in Maine. The Federal Aviation Administration is about to change its rules on drone use, and that's why this one is coming up.

Republican Senator Roger Katz has sponsored two dealing with cell use. An Act to Protect Mobile Location Data and An Act to Protect Cell Phone Privacy make it illegal for law enforcement to access the GPS track of your cell phone, your texts or your other cell phone records without a warrant. The idea behind this one is that police need a warrant to search your house or car, and your cell phone data should be no different.

An Act to Protect Social Media Privacy in the Workplace, sponsored by Republican Representative Mike McClellan makes it illegal for your employer or school to make you give them your social media passwords or "friend" you. This is something some employers have done to make sure employees have good character for jobs.

And The Maine Online Privacy Protection Act, sponsored by Democratic Representative Diane Russell is modeled after one in California. It requires people who run commercial websites that collect people's personal information to post and comply with a privacy policy.